A 17-year-old Georgia high school football player was found dead one day before his team was scheduled to play in the state championship, FOX 5 reports.

Meriwether County School System officials confirmed in a letter on Sunday the tragic death of Brandon Smith.

“Manchester High School’s celebration of playing for the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship has unfortunately turned into something none of us could have fathomed,” Meriwether Schools Superintendent Robert Griffin and Manchester High School Principal Suzie Neal wrote.

The cause of Smith’s death has not been announced.

“Local media channel 11 Alive said the teenager, from Manchester, Georgia, had been reported missing by his coach on Saturday,” Newsweek noted.

FOX 5 wrote:

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed with FOX 5 that they are assisting the Manchester Police Department in its investigation.

The school will have grief counselors on campus to help the community with the loss.

“Meriwether County football player dies on eve of team’s state title game. 17-year-old Brandon Smith’s body was found this morning. His coach posted on FB on Sat., he was missing,” 11Alive journalist Cody Alcorn said.

Per Newsweek:

Smith had been due to star in the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship on Monday, playing for Manchester High School against Bowdon High School at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is used by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons for their home games. The match had been particularly eagerly anticipated because it was his school’s first championship game since 1997, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Instead, Smith’s Blue Devils teammates and school friends have been left reeling, after “heartbroken” principal Suze Neal shared the news of his death on the school’s website.

“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the tragic and untimely death of one of our student-athletes, Brandon Smith, ” the Manchester High School principal wrote in a joint statement with school superintendent Robert A. Griffin.

“We continue to pray for Brandon’s family, friends, teammates, and classmates. Manchester High School will have mental health support available starting on Monday morning,” the letter added.

11Alive reported Monday that Smith disappeared Thursday night and was shot multiple times.

WATCH:

According to Newsweek, the State Championship game went ahead as scheduled Monday evening.

Bowdon edged Manchester 28-27 to capture the state title.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

Bowdon broke on top and refused to fold in holding off Manchester 28-27 in a Georgia high school football matchup on Dec. 11.

Bowdon opened with a 14-0 advantage over Manchester through the first quarter.

Both teams needed to regroup after dueling to a 21-21 standoff at the end of the second quarter.

Bowdon jumped ahead of Manchester 28-21 as the final quarter started.

The Red Devils chalked up this decision in spite of the Blue Devils’ spirited final-quarter performance.

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.